While promoting her teen edition of Nowhere But Up: The Story of Justin Bieber’s Mom, Pattie Mallette opened up about the current pressures she feels from stepping back as a mom.
In an interview with People magazine, Pattie says that letting go is a process she struggles with everyday. “When your kids hit a certain age your parenting style changes and it is hard letting go.”;
With her now 19-year-old son on a world tour, she’s learning to lean back and let Justin gain his own independence. “His life was my life and now I’ve had to let him go a little bit and let him be independent. It is hard to not be able to control everything that your adult child does,”; Pattie shared.
And with Justin’s increasingly controversial behaviour making news everyday now, Pattie admits she’s had to field more than her fair share of questions about her parenting skills. “A lot of people might think that I have my head in the sand or that I am oblivious to the things my son is doing,”; she said. “I know who my son is and I don’t always agree with every single thing that he does but I don’t necessarily have to address that with everyone else.”;
“He’s my son and I have to respect he is not going to want me going around being “that mom’ talking about his behavior.”;
Currently on a press tour, the famous mom says the increasing spotlight has helped her relate to Justin’s constant public scrutiny. “I can appreciate even some of the pressures that I knew were there but I couldn’t feel them. You don’t know all the expectations and the things that are around him so I have a different view. I’ve learned from watching him and how he has been able to handle things.”;
Now that Justin’s an adult, Pattie keeps up with his life from afar. “I text and call him every day. I definitely want to know everything that he is doing and what he is going through so I try to talk to him as much as he’ll let me. I mean, he’s on tour and being pulled in a million different directions but we talk as much as he is able.”;